It might come as a surprise to some to learn that cricket, the bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players, has been quietly growing in popularity in Canada over the last few years. However, this resurgence would not have been surprising to Vernonites in the early 20th century, when cricket was a well-established and much-enjoyed sport in the region.
The first recorded games of cricket in Vernon took place in 1895, with matches played behind Vernon’s National Hotel and in Coldstream. Teams from Vernon played against squads from Kelowna, Armstrong, and Winfield (now Lake Country). The sport lapsed during World War I but saw a revival in 1920, expanding to include teams from Lavington, Salmon Arm, and Revelstoke. Around this time, the Spencer Cup was introduced, and an Okanagan Cricket League was formed, with cup matches taking place every week.
The 1930s marked the peak of cricket’s popularity in the area, with Vernon fielding three teams. Matches were held in Polson Park and on the grounds of the Vernon Preparatory School (now the Coldstream Meadows Retirement Community). Later, the games moved to Lakeview Park, but interest in the sport had begun to decline. By 1965, cricket had largely faded from the local sports scene.
A key institution in Vernon’s cricket history was the Vernon Cricket Club, officially established in 1935. The club’s purpose, as stated in its 1948 constitution, was “the general supervision of all matters pertaining to and dealing with the fostering and promoting of the game of cricket in Vernon and surrounding districts.” Early membership fees were set at five dollars for adults and one dollar for juniors. However, records related to the Vernon Cricket Club largely stop by 1962, mirroring the sport’s decline in the region.
A glimpse into Vernon’s cricketing past is provided in Growing up in the Okanagan by V.E. Merchant. The author recounts his experiences playing cricket in the late 1950s at the Vernon Prep School. He describes the former cricket pitch, now a horse pasture, along with a deteriorating hut where players once gathered for tea after matches. Young players like Merchant and his brother were typically placed as far-out fielders while the adults took the key positions.
Though cricket faded from Vernon’s sports scene by the mid-20th century, its historical presence in the region remains an intriguing chapter in the city’s recreational past. With the sport once again gaining traction in Canada, perhaps a new generation of Vernonites will take up the bat and bring cricket back to the community.
Archives Manager, Gwyneth Evans